"Big Brother, I'm just worried this guy has some serious backing," Sprout voiced his concern after speaking.
No one else could enter the Skyveil, yet this sickly fellow managed it—clearly, he was no ordinary person. As for Joe Di entering the Skyveil, Sprout simply ignored it. If Joe Di wasn’t formidable, could he have become Sprout’s master? Sprout had completely forgotten that, back then, he’d had no choice but to follow Joe Di.
"Don't worry about him. We're heading to the Skyblade Sect," Joe Di waved dismissively, not giving the sickly fellow a second thought.
No matter how powerful his backing, could it surpass Barton May? Barton May had already been toppled—why should he care where the sickly fellow came from?
...
Joe Di had visited the Skyblade Sect once before. This time, he came mainly for the Skyblade atop Skyblade Peak.
He had already taken the Skyblade Sect’s Scripture Pavilion with him, and now he decided to take the Skyblade as well. It wasn’t that he coveted the blade itself, but Joe Di knew that the Skyveil would eventually be refined into a world. He had a good impression of the Skyblade Sect, so he figured he might as well take the Skyblade.
Compared to the last time Joe Di had come, the sect’s protective array had dropped several levels. Clearly, after the last breach, the Skyblade Sect’s defenses hadn’t fully recovered automatically.
Joe Di led Sprout and Blackfire to the foot of Skyblade Peak. The Skyblade was still there at the summit. It wasn’t that no one had tried to take it, but no one had the strength to do so.
The first time Joe Di reached the seventy-second step of Skyblade Peak, he was torn apart by a sudden surge of blade intent and had no choice but to retreat.
Now that the Skyblade Sect had fallen, this Dao resonance was a windfall for him.
No matter how much spiritual energy surged in, Joe Di absorbed it all. His Star River Meridian acted like a massive grindstone, sweeping away every trace of energy that came its way.
In just a few days, Joe Di broke through the Sixth Layer and stepped into the Seventh Layer of the Transforming True Stage.
The Dao aura from the hilt began to wane, and Joe Di knew further cultivation here would yield little. With a surge of true essence, the Skyblade was finally in his grasp.
It was a long blade, nearly five feet in length, broad and thick, tinged with a dark red hue. A heavy, ancient aura radiated from it, as if it contained endless blade intent within.
Joe Di had his own blade path. While cultivating with the spiritual energy here was beneficial, he did not intend to fully comprehend the blade intent within the Skyblade—at least not yet.
He stored the Skyblade inside his True Spirit World and descended from Skyblade Peak.
"Congratulations, big brother, on claiming the Skyblade!" Sprout hurried forward to offer his congratulations as soon as he saw Joe Di descend.
"There's nothing to congratulate," Joe Di replied. "This blade will eventually belong to someone else. Let's go, it's time to leave the Skyveil." He had never planned to keep the Skyblade for himself.
Skyveil might still conceal other treasures, and if not for the matters at Beast Valley, Joe Di might have stayed to search for a while longer.
Due to what was happening in Beast Valley, Joe Di needed to find a place in the True Domain to cultivate for some time before anything else.
Skyblade Peak had given him a pleasant surprise, pushing his strength into the late Transforming True Stage. Still, Joe Di felt it wasn’t quite enough for Beast Valley; ideally, he would reach the Ninth Layer of the Transforming True Stage, or even break into the Domain Stage.
Skyveil was a place where the laws were shattered—a poor choice for cultivation.
After sending Sprout and Blackfire into the True Spirit World, Joe Di activated the Realm-Splitting Talisman once again.
After repeated use, Joe Di had become proficient with the Realm-Splitting Talisman. In just a short while, he returned once more to the True Domain.
Both the Small Central World and the True Domain were suitable for cultivation, but Joe Di felt that staying in the True Domain was far better.
The True Domain was rich in cultivation sanctuaries; the five great domains and the top families each had their own sacred grounds for training.
In fact, if Joe Di wished, he could ask any power for permission to cultivate for a time—he doubted anyone would refuse him.
But Joe Di had no intention of cultivating in those places. Instead, he chose somewhere no one would expect—Beast Valley.
During his earlier trials in Beast Valley, Joe Di had discovered it was a sanctuary for cultivation. Now, seeking to strengthen himself, it was naturally his first choice.
Due to what was happening in Beast Valley, Joe Di needed to find a place in the True Domain to cultivate for some time before anything else.
Deep within Beast Valley lay the fierce Genesis Annihilation Array, but Joe Di wasn’t worried. No matter how fearsome the entity sealed inside, Joe Di doubted it could escape—if it could, he wouldn't have been able to leave last time.
For Joe Di, Beast Valley was the true sanctuary for cultivation.
After sending Sprout and Blackfire into the True Spirit World, Joe Di activated the Realm-Splitting Talisman once again.
Though Beast Valley was Joe Di’s sanctuary, for the cultivators of the True Domain, it was a forbidden land.
Joe Di arrived to find no one in sight for thousands of miles. Once inside Beast Valley, the dense and pure spiritual energy confirmed he’d made the right choice.
When natural spiritual energy reaches a certain density, it is far superior for cultivation than absorbing energy from spirit stones or veins. The energy of heaven and earth contains Dao resonance, unlike the isolated energy of spirit stones and veins.
It’s like cultivating atop a natural spirit vein—so long as you don’t extract it, training directly on the vein is vastly superior to using its energy elsewhere.
After choosing a spot to cultivate in Beast Valley, Joe Di didn’t begin training immediately. Instead, he set up protective and surveillance arrays.
Though Joe Di was confident the entity inside the Genesis Annihilation Array couldn’t escape easily, he still prioritized his own safety, at least setting up a surveillance array. If that creature did emerge, he needed to know immediately.
After finishing the protective and surveillance arrays, Joe Di also laid down a ninth-rank slaughter array. Should he misjudge and the entity from the Genesis Annihilation Array break free, he would have a way to defend himself.
With everything in place, Joe Di planted two spirit veins at his cultivation site—he had no shortage of top-grade veins. This time, to push his strength to the limit, he not only implanted a top-grade spirit vein but also the Medicine King Vein.
The Medicine King Vein given to him by Geng Ji was only a high-grade vein, but its value far surpassed dozens of top-grade spirit veins.
Once everything was ready and Joe Di began cultivating, he realized just how wise his choice had been—and was awed by the Medicine King Vein’s power.
The natural conditions of Beast Valley, combined with the Medicine King Vein, gave Joe Di an exhilarating sense of freedom as he activated the Starstream Technique. His cultivation speed wasn’t as fast as when he absorbed the Dao resonance atop Skyblade Peak, but the experience was far more satisfying.
Here, Joe Di never had to worry about running out of spiritual energy.
Every powerhouse in the True Domain knew that in eight months, they and Joe Di would enter Beast Valley to face the Genesis Annihilation Array. So it wasn’t only Joe Di who was frantically cultivating—the leading experts of the major powers and domain lords were all doing the same.
Except for one person: Bai Hong.
Bai Hong, having witnessed Joe Di’s strength and the death of his son Bai Shaoxiang, was consumed with hatred and determined to kill Joe Di.
Though Bai Hong had many sons, Bai Shaoxiang was his only direct heir and supremely gifted child.
He had to kill Joe Di. Neither his own strength nor that of the other True Domain cultivators would suffice. After pondering for months, Bai Hong realized the only chance to kill Joe Di was in Beast Valley.
With everything in place, Joe Di planted two spirit veins at his cultivation site—he had no shortage of top-grade veins. This time, to push his strength to the limit, he not only implanted a top-grade spirit vein but also the Royal Herb Vein.
The Royal Herb Vein given to him by Geng Ji was only a high-grade vein, but its value far surpassed dozens of top-grade spirit veins.
Once everything was ready and Joe Di began cultivating, he realized just how wise his choice had been—and was awed by the Royal Herb Vein’s power.
The natural conditions of Savage Beast Gorge, combined with the Royal Herb Vein, gave Joe Di an exhilarating sense of freedom as he activated the Starstream Technique. His cultivation speed wasn’t as fast as when he absorbed the Dao resonance atop Skyblade Peak, but the experience was far more satisfying.
Here, Joe Di never had to worry about running out of spiritual energy.
Every powerhouse in the True Domain knew that in eight months, they and Joe Di would enter Savage Beast Gorge to face the Genesis Annihilation Array. So it wasn’t only Joe Di who was frantically cultivating—the leading experts of the major powers and domain lords were all doing the same.
Except for one person: Bai Hong.
Bai Hong was the only one who didn’t need to cultivate frantically. He had already reached the Domain Stage, and his strength far surpassed the other domain lords.
He was the true number one powerhouse of the True Domain.